Tinley Park Resident Delivers Smiles of Joy to Children

Tammy Girten of Tinley Park believes in supporting children and teens fighting cancer. Treasure Chest Foundation weekly volunteer delivers over 160 pounds of toys to Central DuPage Hospital and Central DuPage Diagnostic Imaging in Winfield to benefit the Treasure Chest Foundation.

When asked about delivering the toys Tammy Girten said, “I remember the joy in the eyes of the kids when they saw us bring in the toys.”

Treasure Chest Foundation CEO and Founder Colleen Kisel said, “This is an enormous donation as the cost of shipping has skyrocketed over the years. Tammy will save the Treasure Chest Foundation hundreds of dollars on the cost of shipping.”

The POTCF is a unique organization whose services impact more than 14,600 young cancer patients in 62 cancer treatment centers in 20 states across the nation and in the District of Columbia. Nowhere else in the nation does such a program exist. Colleen Kisel founded the organization in 1996 after her then seven-year-old son Martin had been diagnosed with leukemia in 1993. Ms. Kisel discovered that giving her son a toy after each procedure provided a calming distraction from his pain, noting that when children are diagnosed with cancer their world soon becomes filled with doctors, nurses, chemotherapy drugs, surgeries and seemingly endless painful procedures. Martin celebrated his 27th anniversary of remission from the disease in March of 2020.

If you would like further information about the Treasure Chest Foundation, please contact Colleen Kisel at 708-687-TOYS (8697) or visit the Foundation’s website at www.treasurechest.org.